Murali Naik, from Andhra Pradesh who laid down his life during the cross-border shelling in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch, on Friday, had joined the armed forces against his father’s wish. Naik, 23, wanted to serve the nation by donning the army uniform.
“Murali’s aim was to serve the country. He joined the army despite my opposition. He just wanted to wear the army uniform for at least a year,” Shriram Naik, Murali’s father told reporters at his residence in Kamraj Nagar locality in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar. He said Murali had undergone military training at Deolali in Nashik and was his only son.
Murali, who was selected in the army as an Agniveer in 2022, died in the line of duty in the early hours of Friday in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir.
Although Murali was posted in Jammu and Kashmir during ‘Operation Sindoor‘, he had told his parents that he was stationed in Punjab so that they do not panic in view of the prevailing Indo-Pak conflict, he added.
“We got this terrible news at 9 am when army officials called us. My wife broke down when she heard it was our Murali who had been killed in the morning firing…Just yesterday at 8 am, he had videocalled us and enquired about us. He said he was going to rest that day. And now we’ve lost him. I still cannot believe it,” he said.
India-Pak Tension: Murali had completed his training at Deolali in Nashik. He was first posted in Sikkim and was later sent to Kashmir, he added. He was the primary breadwinner for the family as his father works as a daily wage worker while his mother is a domestic help.
“He wanted to join the army but his parents resisted the move. So he quietly went for the recruitment drive. It was only after he was selected that he told his parents who had accepted his decision unwillingly,” said Shridhar Naik, who lives in the same locality in Ghatkopar.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis offered condolences to Naik. “Though his native place is in Andhra Pradesh, his family has long been settled in Mumbai. We extend our deepest condolences and share their sorrow,” he said.
In a post on X, the Indian Army said that Pakistan Armed Forces launched multiple attacks usingdrones and other munitions along the entire Western Border on the intervening night of May 8 and 9, 2025.
Pakistan army also resorted to numerous ceasefire violations (CFVs) along the Line of Control inJammu and Kashmir. The drone attacks were effectively repulsed, and a befitting reply was given to the ceasefire violations, the Indian Army said.
Friday’s attack by Pakistan and counter-offensive by India comes a day after India destroyed nine terror camps in Pakistan andPakistan-occupied Kashmir(PoK).
Murali’s aim was to serve the country. He joined the army despite my opposition.
The strike by India, coinedOperation Sindoor, came two weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack inJammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed on 22 April.